


Home

by robin_writes



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, M/M, Mechanic Gendry, Modern AU, arya's a fugitive, bartender gendry, homeless arya, lannister plot, ned's in prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robin_writes/pseuds/robin_writes
Summary: Ned Stark is arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, a crime he is completely innocent of. There's a warrant out for Arya's arrest so she runs off, straight into Gendry's arms. They work together to uncover the Lannister's plot against her and her father.





	1. I Used To Wonder Why I'm Here

**Author's Note:**

> All chapter titles are from the song 'Home' by Bruno Major

She remembered how desperate he looked. How he begged that they had gotten it all wrong as they cuffed his hands with cold, harsh metal and dragged him out of the kitchen and hauled him into the back of a cop car, lights flashing red and blue.

Arya had to watch as her gentle giant of a father was bound and ripped from their house, all his rights taken without so much as a single fact checked.

When her mother let the men in blue in, she realised exactly what was happening and bundled Bran and Rickon up the stairs. It left only Arya and her father, Ned, in the kitchen. He was still bent over the counter, helping to teach her how to cook. They were making a Thai curry. Arya was hidden out of sight, in the corner of the room.

Ned turned to the intruders. “Eddard Stark, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder.” Instead of facing down the officers as Arya thought he would’ve, he turned to her.   
“Run.” He whispered under his breath, not loud enough for anyone but her to hear. Ned turned back to the officer. “It wasn’t me. You can’t do this.” He said.

Arya was confused but she wasn’t about to refuse her father. While the cops were cuffing him, Arya swung her backpack over her shoulder and slipped out the backdoor. As she did, she heard another officer speak. “Where’s your daughter Stark?”  
“Which one?” Ned asked.  
“Arya.”  
“She’s not home from school yet.”  
“There’s a warrant out for her arrest.” Arya’s heart stopped. She didn’t do anything. “If you’re lying,” The officer continued. “you’ll also be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive.”  
“I’m not lying.”

She was too far away to hear anything more. Arya ran for as long as she could, stopping a few times to catch her breath but it didn’t appear that anyone was following her. It was dark by the time she felt safe enough to stop running, she stumbled onto a junkyard and decided it would do well to hide her. She could also find a car with soft enough seats to sleep in.

There was a small rusted car that looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment, but the interior seemed less like a death trap than other cars she had seen. So Arya opened the door and climbed inside. In her backpack, she had a zipper, a bottle of water, a snack bar and her purse. It had been packed for her fencing class later that evening. But she had already missed it, so she pulled on the zipper and took a sip of the water.

She fell asleep quickly. It was peaceful and cold but she was used to the cold. The seats in the car were more comfortable than she gave them credit for. She slept through to the middle of the afternoon.

Her stomach rumbled loudly. For a second, she thought it was her alarm and she was going to be late for school. But then she realised where she was and remembered that fugitives don’t go to school, unless they want to be caught.

Arya got up anyway and decided that she needed to try and find some food. She wanted to save her snack bar, but her stomach growled its protest and so she ate it. 

She headed out of the junkyard and pulled the hood over her head to try and stay as anonymous as she could. There was a small town a few minutes walk from the yard, and a fast food restaurant a few more minutes walk.

Behind the restaurant were the bins. She cringed but didn’t see any other way. She couldn’t go to the local homeless shelter for food, they would recognise her immediately. Her father was one of the top dogs in ‘Baratheon’, a tech giant. They mainly made computers and had a few defence contracts with the military. But after Robert Baratheon died a few months before, he left the company to her father.

Ned was naturally a little overwhelmed, but not for long as Cersei, Robert’s latest wife claimed that her son Joffrey Baratheon had more claim to the company than Ned did. There was a whole court case about it where Cersei produced a will made a few days before Robert died saying that ‘Baratheon’ was Joffrey’s. The validity of the will was called into question but no one could prove it was a fake. So Ned lost his company and then his job, and now his rights. But Arya had no idea why she would be arrested.

She dug out a half-eaten hamburger and a carton of fries. Arya ate them as she walked. She passed an appliance store with large TVs in the window. She stood for a while, eating and watching the screens. They were all playing the news.

She hadn’t noticed the cameras and reporters on her lawn the evening her father was arrested, but apparently they had been there. Arya watched again as her father was arrested. His face flashed up on the screen followed by ‘apprehended suspect’. And then her’s was plastered across all twelve flatscreens. Arya gasped, and ran again. 

It felt like everyone was watching her, but in reality there were only a few people wondering about and none of them even glimpsed at her.

Arya made it back to the junkyard and hurried back to the car. She climbed in and then opened up the secret pocked in her backpack that her father had made her. Inside was a shining knife. It was more of a dagger really.

She stared at it in the late afternoon light. And then she turned it on herself.

The dagger sliced through her hair, she chopped at it until it was even, reaching just above her chin. She wasn’t Arya anymore. She was Arry. And she would stay Arry if she wanted to live.

She hid the blade again and swiped the hair off the car seats and onto the ground outside. She looked in the rearview mirror. It was cracked right through her face. Arya felt like crying. 

This time yesterday she was complaining that she didn’t want to learn to cook because it fulfilled archaic gender conventions that she’d spent her whole life trying to subvert. But then conceding when her mother pulled her aside and told her that it was her father’s way of bonding with her.

Ned Stark loved to cook, almost as much as he loved his job at ‘Baratheon’. The one before he ran the whole company. The one where he was effectively in charge of everything anyway; the man behind the curtain. He was Robert’s right hand man until his death. 

Arya sobbed gently. He didn’t deserve any of this. It had to be the Lannisters. They had to be trying to bury him for some reason. And more than that, she didn’t deserve any of this. Arya hadn’t met Cersei or her son, so she had no idea of what kind of vendetta they had against her. 

The sky fell dark quickly and she decided that she should try and get some more sleep. Occasionally, when she was back at home, Arya would watch procedural cop shows. She hated the thought of it now, but one key thing she noticed was that when fugitives get tired, they get sloppy and they get caught. So she wasn’t going to allow that to happen to her. She would get some rest and definitely not get caught.

Arya wondered, as she tried to sleep, whether they had arrested anyone else; Jon, Robb, Sansa. She hoped they hadn’t.

The next day, Arya woke well rested but solemn. She was hungry again and smelt like garbage from rummaging around in the trash the day before. She wasn’t looking forward to doing it again. But there wasn’t any other way of getting food. And she absolutely wouldn’t resort to stealing. They could already accurately charge her with being a fugitive of the law, she wasn’t going to commit any more offences if she could help it.

She bought a bottle of water and a bag of crisps at a vending machine at the train station in town, figuring that if she stepped foot in an actual shop, they would kick her out. Arya sat on the bench at the station and ate the snacks. She felt much better, still melancholy but with less reasons to be. 

The walk through town was nice. No one glanced twice at her with her backpack on her back and her hoodie covering her face again. The town was cosy but had a real atmosphere of community. Like when she passed the bar, it was loud but in a good way. Full of merry men cheering along to some sports match and buying each other drinks. Nothing like the city.

The city was cold and callous. It chewed people up and spat them out. Her family had moved from a small town like this to the city when Robert Baratheon had asked her father for his help. Arya didn’t like it much, but she didn’t have any say on the matter seeing as she was only eleven at the time. She was seventeen now but sometimes she felt that she still didn’t have any say in family matters.

When she got back to the junkyard, she climbed into the car. She deliberated. She could move on but she might not find a place as good as this one to hide, or she could stay here and be close-ish to home where they were more likely to find her through proximity. 

There was a knock on the car window. Arya jumped a foot and then turned to look at who it was. She thought it might be a cop who was looking to arrest her, but it was just a young man. She kept her guard up, he might’ve seen the news, and she stepped out of the car. “Can I help you?” He asked.   
“No.” She said wearily.  
“Then I hate to do this, but I have to ask you to leave.” He did really look like he hated it.  
“Oh.”  
“Yeah, my boss has this thing about people sleeping in his junkers.”

Her stomach chose that inopportune moment to start grumbling at her. “Are you hungry? Gods, you look famished. There’s gotta be some food at the shop. You should come back to the shop with me.” Arya squinted at him, trying to figure out if there was some hidden motive behind his actions. “No games. I just don’t want a kid dying because I didn’t think.” She nodded and they headed away from the exit of the yard.

She noticed the building now, she hadn’t before. It was small but there were several cars parked around it. The man led her inside. There was no one else there, Arya breathed a sigh of relief. If it came to it, she only had to run from one assailant. 

He bent down to open a mini fridge. “Crap. Look, I’m sorry. I brought you here and we don’t have anything but an old loaf of bread and a pint of milk.” He looked like he was feeling guilty. “This is gonna sound really weird, but I’m meant to close up now, how about you come back to my apartment where I’ll make something for us to eat and you can take a shower, if you want. And then I’ll drive you to wherever you want to go.”

Arya stood in silence, considering his offer. She thought it sounded a little too good to be true. Why would he be offering her help when he wanted her gone moments before and why was she even considering saying yes? Maybe because she was just that desperate. Arya nodded. The man smiled and then said “Name’s Gendry.”   
“Arry.”  
“Nice to meet you Arry. My car’s just over here.”


	2. You’re A Mystery To Me Some Days

It was a short drive to Gendry’s apartment but would’ve been to cold to walk it. He seemed nervous when he opened the door, like he was stopping himself from running over and tidying everything up for her. “It’s nice.” She said, putting him out of his misery.

Gendry’s apartment, like the rest of the town, was small. But it was lived in which was more than could be said for Arya’s house. Her mother had embraced the minimalist aesthetic of the big city and had designed their house for it’s appearance rather than function. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless there were three children still living in the house as there were. 

“Are you allergic to anything?” He asked as they moved in further.  
“No.”  
“Okay. The shower’s through that door.” He pointed to one of the doors. “I’ll get started on the food. Do you have a change of clothes?”  
“I don’t.” Arya shook her head.  
“If you want, I could wash those for you. I have to throw some of my stuff in the laundry too.”  
“That would be nice, thank you.”  
“I’ll grab some sweats you can wear while you’re waiting for your clothes to dry.” Gendry disappeared through the other door and came back with sweat pants and a hoodie and towel. He passed them over to her.  
“Thanks.” Arya headed for the bathroom while Gendry began to cook.

She locked the door behind her and dropped the clothes onto the toilet seat. Arya looked in the mirror. She didn’t look like herself anymore. She wasn’t herself anymore. The Arya who was confrontational, who thought she was owed something, who believed that good always triumphed just because it was good, was gone. Now she was faceless, trying to hide in the shadows, taking what she could, and knowing that maybe sometimes good didn’t win.

Arya took a shower, aware of how much hot water she was using but enjoying it too much to care, until she smelt chilli wafting through the bathroom door. She dried herself off and got changed. Gendry’s clothes were far too big, but they were clean and comfortable. Something she hadn’t had in a little while. 

Her hair looked crudely cut now that it was wet, so she grabbed a hair tie from her bag and tied as much as she could back, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be a boy. She stepped out of the bathroom to see Gendry in front of a large pot at the stove. He turned to look at her. “Find everythi-“ He stopped. “So you’re a girl under all that grime.” She was going to deny it, but there was no point now.  
“I am.”  
“And your name? Arry?”  
“Arya.”  
“That’s a nice name.” Not pretty, nice. She hated when people called her name pretty. It wasn’t pretty, it was so much more than that. “Would you make sure the chilli doesn’t bubble over while I get rid of the laundry.”  
“Of course.” Arya walked over to him. For a moment, it looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it.

Gendry took the clothes from her and added them to his own basket and left the apartment. He came back rather quickly. “Chilli’s fine.” She said as he walked through the door. He came back to stand by the stove, and turned to look at Arya. “You’re clearly dying to ask me something, so ask already.” She said.  
“How did you end up on the street? You didn’t look like you’ve been out there very long.”  
“I haven’t.”  
“How long?”  
“A couple of days. I had some problems with my family… I gave them an ultimatum and I guess I was too stubborn not to follow through.” She lied. It wasn’t like she could tell Gendry the truth, that would get both of them in deep trouble.  
“Too stubborn huh. Sounds like something I would’ve done back in the day.”  
“Back in the day? How old are you?” She laughed.  
“I’ll have you know I’m only twenty-three. How old are you?”  
“Eighteen.” She lied again.  
“Chilli’s done. Take a seat.” Gendry reached up and grabbed a couple of bowls from the cupboard above him. As he did, his top rose, revealing the bottom of his chiseled chest. Arya couldn’t tear her eyes away. He spooned some chilli into each of the bowls and passed one to her.

They both sat on the couch and Gendry flicked the TV on. Arya froze. She was terrified that her face would appear again, like it did at the store, but instead it was just a soccer match. She began to eat.

Arya was hungrier than she thought and she ended up polishing the bowl off before Gendry had gotten halfway through his. “You want some more?” He asked.  
“If you don’t mind.” She was still hungry but didn’t want to seem impolite. Gendry put his bowl down on the coffee table and took Arya’s empty one to the pot on the stove. He spooned some more out and then passed it back to her, resuming his own eating.

Gendry kept on glancing at Arya. It was starting to irritate her. “I have to go to work.” He said out of nowhere.  
“You just got back from work…”  
“I have two jobs; mechanic and a bartender. I don’t really want to leave, but I kind of have to. I’m trying to save up so I can get out of this godforsaken town.”  
“That’s okay. If my clothes are dry, I can go.” She tried not to sound so disappointed.  
“Maybe you can come with me… to the bar. I feel like your family problems are gonna blow over either on your part, or their part. But I’d feel much better if you stayed here until they did.” Arya was about to say something but Gendry interrupted. “Just listen a moment. You don’t belong on the streets. And I know your family wouldn’t like it if they knew that’s what you were doing. Someone helped me out a while ago, Mott, the guy who owns the junkyard. He hired me and let me sleep in the shop until I’d earned enough to pay rent here. Everyone needs a little help some days.” Arya nodded.  
“Okay. But just for a little while. I have some money, but not a lot.”  
“I don’t want your money Arya. Maybe you can spend it on clothes at the thrift store in town.”  
“Okay, thank you.” She smiled for the first time in what felt like years. “Do you think the thrift store is still open? I can’t really wear sweats to a bar.”  
“It’s a seedy bar, Arya, you can wear whatever you want. But yes, it’s still open.”  
“Can I go now and I’ll meet you at the bar when I’m done?”  
“Sure.” Gendry smiled. She seemed more like a person than she had earlier that evening. Arya dropped her bowl in the sink and then stood to leave, picking up her backpack. Before she did, she turned back and smiled at Gendry.

The walk to the thrift store was quick. She remembered seeing it on her walks through town before, and it was closer to Gendry’s apartment than the junkyard. She walked inside.

There seemed to be no organisation to the clothes at all so Arya started in the nearest corner, walking through the aisles slowly. She found a few things she liked; ripped jeans, a tunic style top, a pair of black dungarees and a few tops. She also wondered to where the shoes where and picked up a pair of small black work-boots. Arya missed her black work-boots from home but these were similar, if not a cheaper make. But hopefully both she and Ned would be exonerated soon and she could go home.

Arya paid and asked if she could use the changing room to put some of the clothes on. The woman and the counter nodded. She went behind one of the curtains and pulled off Gendry’s sweats, replacing them with the black dungarees, the work-boots and a black shirt saying ‘cute but psycho’. 

Arya thanked the woman as she left and headed down the block to the bar. It was ‘The Stinking Goose’. When she walked in, several pairs of eyes turned to her. They all seemed curious about the newbie in town. But Arya exhaled when she noticed one of the pairs of eyes belonged to Gendry.

He was standing behind the bar, so Arya moved and sat on a stool directly in front of him. “You look a lot more like yourself Arya.” He was smiling at her.  
“I feel a lot more like myself. Could I get a beer?” She smiled, doing the eye twinkle that Jon often complained about. He couldn’t resist saying yes to whatever she asked when she was doing the eye twinkle. Arya hoped Gendry would be the same.  
“I would, but I don’t think you were telling me the truth when you said you were eighteen.”  
“I was. I’m just small.”  
“You have any ID?”  
“No.” She huffed. She definitely did, but it said seventeen on it.   
“Maybe just a coke then.”  
“Sure.” Arya accepted her fate.  
“So we’re a little understaffed here at the moment and if you’re staying in town for a little while, it would be great to have a second pair of hands for a few shifts.”  
“Are you offering me a job?”  
“I am.”  
“I don’t have any ID and I can’t use my bank account without my parents knowing where I am.”  
“You’re seeming more and more shifty by the minute Arya no-last-name.” Gendry smiled, joking. “My boss pays in cash, so it’s all good if you want the job.”  
“Definitely. And you never told me what your last name was either, by the way.”  
“Gendry Waters.” He extended his hand to shake Arya’s. She shook it and then sipped some on her coke. “Still no-last-name?”  
“I’m afraid so. I don’t want you looking me up and tracking down my parents. You seem like you would do something that sweet and infuriating at the same time.” Arya said, Gendry laughed.

For a few hours, everything was perfect. Gendry kept pouring cokes and the occasional drink for the other patrons, they didn’t seem all that busy. And Arya kept him entertained with stories of her siblings. She talked mostly about Jon, they were closest. And she had been heart-broken when he signed up for the military. He had given her the dagger that her father had sewn into her backpack. Jon didn’t want to leave Arya, that much was obvious, but Catelyn hated him and he felt like he needed to find a new family. Gendry listened and chipped in with stories from his own childhood. Everything was perfect.

But then the football match finished and Gendry turned the TV over to the news. “allegations regarding conspiracy to commit murder. Joffrey Baratheon wasn’t harmed as Eddard Stark was taken into custody on Tuesday. But his daughter Arya Stark,” Arya whipped her head around and all the blood drained from her face. “another conspirator, is still at large.” A huge photo of her filled the screen. 

She heard Gendry coughing, but then all ambient noise stopped and Arya could only think of one thing; her father whispering “Run”.

She grabbed her shopping bag and the backpack and made a break for it. Arya was out of the bar before Gendry realised what was happening. She was quick. But he knew the neighbourhood, and he had a pretty good idea where she was going.

Arya reached the junkyard in no time. She figured she would be able to hide there. The rows of cars reminded her of the aisles of clothes at the thrift store; there was no apparent organisation. She dipped left and rushed to a van enclosed by several cars. Arya climbed into the back and hoped her heavy breathing wouldn’t give her away.


	3. We’re Closer Now Than We’ve Ever Been

Arya was breathing too hard. She couldn’t help it. She was out of breath from sprinting for so long. But it was giving her location away. She tried to hold her breath, but she ended up breathing heavier afterwards.

The van shook. Arya almost squealed but she smacked her hand over her mouth to stop it.

And then moonlight rushed in as Gendry pulled open the door. She scrambled as far back as she could get. “Please. I didn’t mean to put you in such a terrible position. I didn’t do anything. My dad didn’t do anything.”  
“Come on out Arya. I’m not going to hurt you. And you’re getting your new clothes all dirty.” He seemed sincere. But Arya didn’t know him. Not really. “I promise. I will hear you out before I do anything.” She nodded. For some reason, she trusted the man.

Arya shuffled towards him, out of the van. They walked slowly out of the junkyard to where Gendry’s car was parked. He must’ve driven, bastard. But not really because he was going to hear her out. They drove back to his apartment. “But what about the bar?”   
“I dragged my boss out of his office to do last call.”  
“Oh.”

Eventually they were both sitting on the couch, as they were earlier but sans bowls of chilli. Gendry turned to face Arya. “So explain.” He said.  
“My dad was arrested, he told me to run, so I ran.”  
“I’m gonna need way more than that if I’m going to aid and abet a fugitive Arya.”  
“Okay. I’ve been thinking about what happened for the last few days. I don’t really know what happened but I think I might have figured it out. You know ‘Baratheon’?”  
“Of course. Who doesn’t?”  
“Right, so Robert Baratheon died and he left the company to my father. But his wife and son didn’t like that, they also don’t seem to like my family in general for some reason. So there was this massive court case a little while back and Robert’s son Joffrey took control over the company. After that, my dad should’ve gotten his old job back, but Joffrey fired him. Slowly, the Lannisters, that’s Robert’s wife’s family, have been trying to undermine my dad’s reputation. He’s been on a bunch of job interviews and nothing stuck. I’m pretty sure their sabotaging him. I have no idea why, but they’re pretending that me and my dad conspired to kill Joffrey, probably so he could control the company again. But I didn’t know that that was a thing until the cops showed up to arrest my dad on Tuesday.”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay?”  
“Yep. I believe you. I’ve heard some pretty bad things about the Lannisters before, so, although it’s shocking, it doesn’t surprise me in the least. You’ve had a long day, Arya, you should probably get some sleep.” Gendry said, she looked nervously at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hand you in. I believe you. I’m gonna grab some blankets for the couch, I’ll be right back.” Gendry stood and walked into his room.

He came back with a pillow, sheet and a blanket. Gendry started to make the couch when Arya stood. 

Arya fell asleep on the couch quickly. Quicker than she had in the car. A couch is much softer than a junker.

The next morning, she was woken by a loud thud. Gendry had dropped a stack on books onto the coffee table. “What time is it?” She stretched and sat up.  
“Nine. I just got back from the library.”  
“Why?”  
“I took out some books on criminal law. We’re gonna get your dad freed.”  
“Don’t you have to go to the junkyard?”  
“It’s closed today.” His eye twitched.  
“No it’s not.”  
“It is.”  
“No, you’re lying.”  
“Fine. I’m lying. I’m taking the day off.”  
“You said last night you needed the money.”  
“I figure your dad needs out of prison more than I need out of town.”  
“Okay. Where do we start?”  
“Do I look like a lawyer to you?” Gendry asked. Arya laughed. “Exactly.”  
“I could do with a few minutes to wake up properly and get changed.”  
“Sure. You want coffee?”  
“Definitely.”

They spent most of the day looking up loopholes or mistakes, anything that could exonerate both Ned and Arya. But it was trickier than it looked, especially for a twenty-three year old mechanic slash bartender and seventeen year old who only really excelled in literature and fencing.

The day bled into the next day which bled into the next day. They spent all their free time researching the case and ways they could get Ned released from prison. After the first day, Arya forced Gendry to go to work. Most of the time she’d go with him, bringing the law books to the bar or junkyard when they went. He would work and she would chuck ideas his way.

Arya trusted Gendry. She liked Gendry. She didn’t think that she had ever trusted anyone as fast as she trusted him. 

She was sitting on the ratty sofa in the waiting room of the junkyard, the door open between her and Gendry who was working on some car that was bought in a few hours before. Arya was flipping through the pages in a new law book. It was no more helpful than the last fifty, but it gave her hope. More books to read meant more possible ways for her to help. Or maybe not, but she still had hope.

“This isn’t working. I bet my mum’s got dad the best lawyer and he’s doing everything he can to find loopholes and he knows all this law crap. I think we have to discredit the conspiracy. Prove that the Lannisters were making it up, that they’re out to get us.” Arya called through to the other room.  
“Yeah, I can’t see us besting a high-paid lawyer.”  
“I’m gonna take a walk, gonna clear my head, I’ll be back soon.”  
“Okay.”

Arya left the yard and headed for the telephone box in town. She stepped in and dropped some coins into the machine. She dialled. “Hello?” A familiar voice said.  
“Theon? It’s Arya. I have some news.”  
“Arya, Gods, we all thought you were dead. Where’ve you been? And why are you calling me instead of your mother? She’s worried sick about you.”  
“I know. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you where I am or where I’ve been. I needed to call someone trustworthy who wasn’t part of the family. They’re not bugging your phone, right?” She asked.  
“Paranoid much? No, they aren’t.”  
“Good. I need to be paranoid, Theon. They arrested my dad, they tried to arrest me.”  
“So what’s the news then?”  
“I need you to tell Robb that I’m safe, I’m trying to exonerate dad and I’m getting close, I can feel it.”  
“Sure.”  
“And… tell everybody I love them.”  
“Of course.” His voice was softer.  
“Bye Theon.”  
“Bye Arya.” She hung up.

She hurried back to the garage in the junkyard, only to find that Gendry had barely moved. “Feel better?” He asked.  
“Much.”  
“Have any ideas?”  
“Not a one.”

They headed back to Gendry’s apartment shortly after to allow him to shower the grease off and get changed for his second job. Arya was working tonight as well.

Gendry had stopped flicking the TV over to the news at the bar, instead they would watch the post match interviews. She knew he thought they were incredibly dull, but he did it to protect her.

Arya was running through possibilities in her head as she washed pint glasses. How to prove that Joffrey’s a scheming dick. They always say follow the money, right? “We should see if we can get the court records for Ned’s case.” She said under her breath to Gendry.   
“Why’s that?”  
“Maybe the Lannisters hired someone as a witness. You need to prove conspiracy, how else, if neither person rats the other out, but a witness.”  
“Yeah, okay. How exactly are we going to get our hands on the court records?”  
“I could call up Theon. It wouldn’t look weird for him to check up on the records.”  
“Theon is…”  
“Robb’s best friend. Sometimes I think maybe he’s a little more than that.”  
“Okay, we’ll do that after the shift.” Gendry nodded and moved away to serve a regular a pint.

Arya made the call to Theon at the same phone booth as earlier. “Two calls in one day, boy am I feeling special.” Theon said.  
“Hardy har. I need your help.”  
“Only if you talk to Robb. He’s here and he’s standing in front of me, pleading for me to pass over the phone.” Theon laughed and then yelped. Arya guessed Robb kicked him. She smiled.  
“Sure. I need you to get to the court transcript for dad’s case and make a list of all the witnesses called.”  
“Can do. Robb really does want to talk to you, so I’ll bid you goodnight.” Theon said.  
“Arya? Arya? Are you okay? Are you safe?” Robb spoke fast like he wasn’t sure he would have enough time to get all the words out.  
“I’m okay, I’m safe. I got a job. I’m making some money and I’m surviving. I love you.”  
“I love you too.” He sounded satisfied.  
“I have to go.”  
“Okay. Just be safe.”  
“I will.” Arya said, and hung up the phone. 

They walked back to the apartment. “We’re getting close then.” Gendry said.  
“Yes we are.” Arya smiled.

That night, she had another nightmare about her dad. He was being beaten in prison. She woke up covered in sweat and tears. Arya brushed them off and tip toed to Gendry’s room. She pushed it open quietly and took a step in. “Mmh?” Gendry woke up at the movement.  
“Shhh. I had a nightmare.” Arya said. He pulled the sheets down next to him without thinking. She climbed in and pulled them back over herself.

She slept much better, curled up behind Gendry, his body heat warming her, keeping her nightmares at bay.

Until there was a loud bang and crash. They both shot up in bed as police officers rushed into the apartment, and opened Gendry’s bedroom door. “Arya Stark, you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder and evading arrest.” She looked at Gendry with terror in her face. Arya hoped to hell this was another nightmare. But it wasn’t.


	4. Wherever You Are’s Where I Call Home

Arya was all over the news. Gendry had watched, helpless, as they had dragged her from his bed and taken her into custody. “Are you listening to what I’m saying son?” An officer had asked him.  
“What?”  
“You can’t leave the state. You might be indicted for aiding and abetting.”  
“Okay.”  
“Do you understand me?”  
“I do.” Gendry had nodded.

As soon as they left, Gendry walked to the phone booth and tried to remember the number Arya had dialled the night before. “Arya? You’re gonna make people talk.” Theon said, Gendry could hear the laugh in his tone.  
“It’s not Arya. She was staying with me.”  
“What do you mean was?”  
“Arya was just arrested. I didn’t know who to call.”  
“Okay, just stay calm. I was gonna go out and look at the court records as soon as they open. I’ll talk to Robb. Are you safe?”  
“I think so, they threatened to arrest me too, but I haven’t done anything.”  
“You’re helping Arya. That’s enough. Maybe you should come and stay with me and Robb.”  
“You don’t even know me.”  
“No, but Arya does. And I trust her judgement.”  
“Thank you.”

Theon gave Gendry his address and they hung up. Gendry packed a bag full of his things and everything Arya had, which wasn’t much, and then he drove to the city.

The neighbourhoods he drove through were far more lavish than he had expected. Even Theon’s apartment was huge. He parked in one of the spaces with Theon’s number painted on it, grabbed his bags from the car and then headed up to the apartment. He knocked loudly.

The door swung open like the man behind it had been listening out for him. “You must be Gendry.”  
“Yes, Theon?”  
“No, I’m Robb, Arya’s older brother. Come on in.” Robb opened the door wider to allow Gendry in.   
“Hi, I’m Theon.” Theon stood and extended his hand to Gendry. He shook it.  
“Where can I put my stuff?” He asked.  
“You can take the spare room.” Theon led Gendry to the spare bedroom. He dropped his stuff by the door and then turned back to Theon.  
“Did you find out who the witnesses were?”  
“Right onto business then. I did. I made a list.” Theon walked back into the lounge and picked up a list he’d left on the coffee table. He passed it over to Gendry who examined it. He recognised a few names, mostly through his investigation into what happened.   
“Do you have a laptop or a computer that I could use?” Gendry asked. Robb nodded and pulled his laptop from between the couch arm and cushion. He handed it to Gendry who took a seat in a free armchair.

The two older men watched as Gendry googled each name in turn, crossing through names on the list or adding stars if they seemed prospective. The list was whittled down to three possible names. Theon was cooking dinner and Robb was on the couch watching Gendry with a furrowed brow.

Gendry looked up at Robb. “What can you tell me about Loras Tyrell?”  
“He’s engaged to Renly Baratheon, Robert’s younger brother. Neither would want the Lannisters to own the company so I can’t see any motive for them being the ones to frame Arya and dad.”  
“Stannis Baratheon?”  
“The middle brother. He thought that he deserved the company, it’s possible that if it was him, he’d be looking to take out the Lannisters next. After Joffrey, Tommen’s too young, the company would be his until Tommen comes of age.”  
“It could be a motive, or it could just be blind hope.” Gendry said. “The third name I had was Tyrion Lannister.”  
“Joffrey’s maternal uncle. Kind of the black sheep of the Lannister family. He wouldn’t have any claim to the company or any desire to see Joffrey running it. No real motive that I can see.”  
“Then Stannis is the best bet for now.” Gendry said.

The next few days Gendry spent living with Theon and Robb, who were far more acquainted than he had first thought, and digging into Stannis Baratheon. He tried to get into the court house for Arya’s bail hearing, but it was a closed hearing. Bail was denied and Arya was moved into a state prison while she waited for a trial date.

It was bad, but it did mean that Gendry could visit her. And that’s exactly what he did the first chance he got.

Gendry drove up to the prison. It was more intimidating than he had thought it would be. It didn’t help that he had to put all his valuables in a small locker and then step through a body scanner. But it was all worth it when he got to see Arya was safe.

She was sat in the corner of the room, at a plastic table. Gendry crossed the room and took a seat opposite her. He smiled. Arya looked up at him.

Her lip was split, swollen and bloody. There was bruising under her chin and around her neck like someone had tried to strangle her. Gendry was speechless. She’d been their less than forty-eight hours. How could something like this happen? “I’m fine.” She said, her voice raspy.  
“The hell you are! Who did this to you?”  
“It doesn’t matter. But I think they were paid to do it.”  
“They? More than one? Gods. If only I had protected you, if we didn’t- If I didn’t-“  
“Nothing you did caused this.” Her voice was harsh-sounding and it cut Gendry to the bone. “Listen to me. You did not cause this. Okay?” Gendry nodded. “Good. So, what progress have you made on the case?”  
“I think the witness was Stannis Baratheon. He might not have even been paid by the Lannisters, I think he’s planning on getting rid of them too so he can run ‘Baratheon’.”  
“That makes sense. It’s a billion dollar international company, if all he has to do is get rid of a few people, I can buy that Stannis would do that.”  
“Yeah, that’s what Robb said.”  
“You’ve seen Robb? Is he alright?”  
“He’s fine, misses you though. I’m staying at Theon’s apartment at the minute, are he and…?”  
“Everybody thinks so but nothing’s been confirmed yet. Maybe you can act as my spy so we’ll finally have proof and can tell Robb to sell his own apartment. I think he only keeps it so mum isn’t disappointed in him.”  
“Your mother?”  
“Yeah, she treated Jon like crap when he lived with us just because he reminded her of dad’s affair. I think Robb believes she’ll be disapproving.”  
“Would she?”  
“I’m not sure. Maybe, but who knows with her.” She trailed off.  
“You need to tell me who hurt you.”  
“No.” She sounded firm.  
“I need to look into their financials to see if they were paid and who paid them. It could help with the case.”  
“Brienne Tarth and Daenerys Targaryen.”  
“Thank you.”

The pair stared at each other for a moment, over the plastic table and inside the brick prison.

“Arya.” Gendry said softly.  
“What?”  
I miss you. I want to go back to before when you were in my bed and we were happy. It physically hurts when I think about you not being with me even though we’ve only known each other for a few weeks. “Don’t get yourself killed in here. Just… stay alive until I can get you out.”  
“Oh. Well duh. What else was I gonna do? Walk into someone’s fist and steal their food?” Arya said sarcastically. Gendry chuckled.  
“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow.”  
“You know what you’re doing right?” She was suddenly that scared girl from inside the back of the junkyard van again.  
“I do.” He nodded and stood.  
“Don’t fuck this up.” Arya said, and with that she was escorted away and Gendry was left standing alone in the visitor’s room. He collected his stuff and then drove back to Theon’s apartment. 

Theon was nowhere to be found, but Robb was on the couch again and looked up nervously when Gendry walked in. “How is she?” He asked.  
“Sarcastic as ever.” Gendry said, trying to make Robb feel better, but his face wasn’t very convincing.  
“But?”  
“But she was hurt. She had some bruises and a split lip. But she seems to be in good spirits at least.”  
“Did she say what happened?”  
“Arya thinks that someone paid the attackers.”  
“Paid them? Wait… them?”  
“Yeah, but she didn’t look too bad.” He lied. “She held her own.”  
“You think it was the Lannisters?”  
“Or Stannis Baratheon.”  
“We’d better work quick then.” Robb said, Gendry nodded in agreement.

Robb searched through both the Lannisters financial records and Stannis Baratheon’s, checking to see if they paid him at all, while Gendry looked into Brienne Tarth and Daenerys Targaryen. It was technically illegal and hacking and a violation of several privacy laws, but neither man cared less.

It turned out that Gendry had more luck, there was a payment that correlated with a withdrawal from Joffrey Lannister’s personal accounts. It was impossible to trace because it was a cash transaction but $5,000 left Joffrey’s account and $5,000 went into Brienne Tarth’s account a few hours later.

Theon came home to Robb and Gendry staring at matching laptop screens in silence. Robb had leant Gendry his while he had looted Theon’s. 

Robb’s research took longer, but didn’t hit a wall like Gendry’s did. He eventually found several small payments direct from Cersei Lannister’s personal account into Stannis’. They were small enough to evade notice, but there were enough off them to sound an alarm in Robb’s head. It totalled to $30,000. It didn’t seem enough for locking up both Arya and Ned, but Stannis had his own agenda that had nothing to do with money.

When he announced his findings to the group, Gendry asked “Do you think it’s enough to get them out of prison?”.  
“Unfortunately no. Even if we could find a defence lawyer who would take it seriously enough to look into on their own, it’s circumstantial. The prosecution could say that it was a gift or a sister-in-law paying her brother-in-law for work around the house. They could make up any story and it would be just as convincing as ours.”  
“But ours is the truth.” Gendry complained.  
“Truth doesn’t matter in a court room, the only thing that matters are what you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt and what story you weave for the jury.”  
“Dude, you watch way to many law shows.”  
“Tell me about it.” Theon chipped in from where he was scrolling through his phone on a barstool in the kitchen.  
“And what are you doing? Watching porn on your phone?” Gendry said, irritated by Theon’s lack of involvement.  
“Seriously? You don’t scroll while you’re watching porn idiot. I think I might have figured out how to get Ned out of prison.”  
“And Arya?” Gendry asked.  
“All in good time.” Theon said.  
“What’s the plan?” Robb asked.  
“I am going to go to the library for a few hours, maybe stop by an old friend of ours on the way back and then Ned should be released by the morning.”   
“An old friend?” Gendry asked, confused.  
“We went to school with dad’s lawyer.” Robb explained.

Theon peeled his laptop from Robb’s hands and left the apartment. “Have you any idea what he’s doing?” Gendry asked, suddenly nervous.  
“No, but I have faith it will work.”

Just as promised, Theon came back a few hours later. “Now we just have to find a way to free Arya.”  
“It would help to know what you did, Theon, so we are all clear on what path you burned.” Robb said.  
“You read through the court transcripts, their case is based on the fact that Ned and Arya conspired a month after Ned was fired. But Ned couldn’t possibly have done that because Stannis testified he actually saw them and heard them on the sixteenth of last month at a restaurant they went to together.”  
“Why couldn’t Ned have done that?” Robb asked. Theon coughed.  
“Uh… because I was at a different restaurant having dinner with him.”  
“I’m confused.” Robb said.  
“I was asking him for your hand.” Theon mumbled.  
“Pardon me?” Robb said, smirking.  
“I took your father out to dinner with the express purpose of asking for his blessing to marry you.” Theon blurted out. “The restaurant had video tapes, I know the owner so I got in contact with her and dropped the tapes over to the lawyer.” Robb was beaming.   
“So how are we going to prove that Arya is innocent?” Gendry asked.  
“A battle for another day my friend.” Theon said.

Gendry grumbled and disappeared into his room with Robb’s laptop. A few minutes later he heard what he thought was them trying to have very quiet sex on the couch and failing at it.

Gendry didn’t go with them to the prison the next morning, he stayed home to keep working. He watched Ned Stark being released on TV. But it did feel kinda good to have a win, it seemed that all they had been doing up until this point was losing.

He emerged from his room when he heard Theon and Robb come home. “Everything go okay?” He asked but trailed off when he saw the intimidating figure of Ned Stark step into view.  
“The boys told me you kept my daughter safe.”  
“Yes sir.” Gendry said.  
“And you took her in even when you thought she was a homeless kid.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“And you believed her when she said that we were both innocent.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Good. Then lets get my daughter out of prison.” Ned Stark took a seat on the couch and gestured for everyone to join him.


	5. I’d Lie Here ‘Till The Day I Die

With Stannis Baratheon’s testimony proved false, the prosecution against Arya had a hard time of keeping her locked up. But they somehow managed it. Usually once one of the conspirators was proved innocent, their co-conspirator would go free, however the Lannisters had friends in very high places and Theon hadn’t proved that Arya didn’t conspire to kill Joffrey, just that Ned didn’t.

Gendry, Robb, Ned and Theon all sat around the coffee table in Theon’s apartment. Occasionally one would think he found something and get excited only for another man to explain why it wouldn’t work. Gendry was getting sick of the whole thing. 

He stood and dropped the papers he was holding. Everyone looked up at him. “I need some fresh air. I’ll bring back food.” He announced and left.

All he could think about was how unfair it was that Arya was mixed up in all this; the Lannisters plan to ‘de-throne’ Ned and Stannis’ manipulation of them to take power himself. She was just a kid. She hadn’t even met Cersei or Joffrey. 

Gendry had an idea. She hadn’t met Cersei or Joffrey before, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t met Stannis. And after all, he was the true mastermind behind it all. But how could he prove that Stannis framed her when he wasn’t sure what to look for or where to look?

He walked down the unfamiliar streets, bathed in the soft glow of the street lights. The air was colder here, he supposed that was because the city was further north than where he lived. He ducked into a Chinese restaurant and ordered for the group. It didn’t take long, and while he waited he planned.

“I think I’ve figured it out.” Gendry said the moment he stepped back into the apartment. All sets of eyes were on him. “It’s two steps. First we prove that either Arya wasn’t at the restaurant or Stannis wasn’t, like Theon did with Ned. And then we find a motive. I couldn’t find one with the Lannisters because they hadn’t ever met Arya, but if Stannis singled out Arya himself, he must have met her or have something against her to want to take her down with Ned.” Gendry said, hardly breathing between sentences. He dropped the Chinese onto the counter. “Well? Do you think it’s possible?”

Ned was the first one to stand and walk over to Gendry. “I do. Thank you, lad.” He said and then broke into the food. Robb and Theon smiled and grabbed plates and cutlery. Gendry sighed in relief. Maybe they could do this after all.

It was easier said than done. Stannis had obviously picked the restaurant for it’s discretion and lack of cameras, so they couldn’t find any footage to clear Arya. But they tracked Stannis using his credit card statements and apparently he couldn’t possibly have been at the restaurant because he was several miles away, with a prostitute. 

The evidence was presented to her lawyer and Arya was being released. Ned offered to take Gendry with him when he picked up his youngest daughter. He hung back and let father and daughter re-unite, but he couldn’t help but notice all the injuries.

Arya had a black eye, fresh bruises around her neck and up her arms, but she also had cuts and bruises to her knuckles. Gendry smiled. She fought back. 

Ned gave them a moment while he walked back to the car. “Thank you.” Arya said as she walked over to Gendry, he nodded his head. “No, seriously. My dad told me it was you who came up with the idea that freed me.”  
“It was.” Gendry confirmed. Arya reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm.  
“Thank you.” She repeated.  
“It was my honour.”  
“What’s to be done now?”  
“Well, Stannis may or may not be charged with perjury and if he is, there’s no way he’ll ever get control of ‘Baratheon’. Cersei Lannister and her son have been unreachable since your father got out of prison, I figure they fled. Tommen is too young to take control. My guess is that your father will take control of ‘Baratheon’ if the board of directors is agreeable.”  
“That’s great and all, but I meant what’s to be done about us? I assume you’re going back home.”  
“Oh.” Gendry was shocked. “I am.” He nodded.  
“Well then I’ll simply have to follow you.” She said determined. He quirked an eyebrow at her.  
“What if I don’t want you to follow me?” He asked. Arya took a step back, like she had been punched. “What I mean is, what if I want you next to me instead?” She smiled, relieved.  
“You had me going for a moment there.” Arya said and they walked back to her father’s car.

He drove them to the big family home instead of Theon’s apartment, Robb and Theon had left for the house too, everyone was meant to be there. Even Jon who had taken a leave of absence from the military. 

As soon as the three stepped through the door, both Arya and Ned were assaulted by hugs. Gendry stood back as he watched. But there was a pair of eyes on him. He turned to see a tall man, over-grown black hair and piercing grey eyes. He stepped over to Gendry. “Robb says you’re the one to thank for keeping my little sister safe and getting her out of prison.”  
“I took her in after a while, but up until then she kept herself safe,”  
“And don’t you forget it.” Arya cut in, Gendry and Jon laughed.  
“and getting her out was a team effort.” Gendry said.  
“Thank you, we are all in your debt.” Jon said.  
“You’re not going to feel that way when she tells you what she’s planned.” Gendry mumbled under his breath.

When the whole family was done greeting Arya, they retired to the living room to watch a film. Just as Gendry was about to excuse himself, Arya grabbed his hand and dragged him up stairs.

They ended up in a bedroom. There were posters of bands Gendry had never heard of and books lining the walls. Arya noticed Gendry looking around. “This is my room.” She explained. “I wanted to catch you before you ran off.”  
“I wasn’t-“  
“You were. It was written all over your face.”  
“Fine.” He conceded.

Arya tried to sit, but she put pressure on her ribs and pain shot through her chest. Gendry rushed over to her. “Are you alright?”  
“I think all that hugging earlier might’ve made my injuries flare up.”  
“Can I take a look? I’ve fixed myself up pretty good in the past.”  
“Sure. There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom.” 

Gendry collected the kit and returned to Arya who was pulling her top off. “Hey! Woah. What are you doing?” He said.  
“My ribs are under my shirt idiot.”  
“Oh, right.” 

The top fell onto the bed and Arya was sitting before him in only her bra and jeans. But what captured his attention was the bruising. Her ribs were mottled pink and blue. “Jesus Arya, did you even see the doctor before you left?”  
“No…”  
“I’m gonna go get some ice. Stay here.” Gendry ventured out of her room and into the kitchen. He was confronted by Sansa Stark.  
“What are your intentions towards my sister?” She asked in a demanding tone.  
“Right now? Getting ice for her ribs. I’m not thinking further into the future than that.  
“You’re too old for her. She’s only seventeen.”  
“Gods, she told me she was eighteen.”  
“Have you…?”  
“No, we haven’t. I mean, she was in my bed the night she was arrested but she had a nightmare, that’s all.”  
“Does she make you happy?” Sansa asked, all trace of her grilling him gone, only soft affection remained.  
“She does.” He nodded.  
“It looks like you make her happy too. That’s good, she deserves to be happy.” Sansa said, and with that it appeared the conversation was over. Sansa returned to the film and Gendry grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. He headed back to Arya.  
“Why do you look like that?” She asked.  
“I think I just earned your sister’s approval.” He said, breathless. “Here. You need to ice your ribs.” He passed over the ice pack. Arya cringed when the cold hit her warm skin.

As she iced her ribs, Gendry moved around her cleaning and wrapping her fists and cleaning the cuts around her eye. Arya looked up, they were staring into each other’s eyes. She leant forward and pressed her lips to Gendry’s. 

He was shocked at first and didn’t move, but once he realised what was happening, he kissed her back. Arya dropped the ice pack and ran her fingers through his hair. “Cold, cold, cold!” Gendry mumbled against her mouth.  
“Sorry.” She blushed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders instead.

They made out for a little while on her bed until the pain became too much and they had to stop. 

Arya agreed to stay at home until she’d finished school which was another two months. During that time she insisted that Gendry stay close by. He used the money that he had been saving up for a move to the city to rent a studio apartment for the two months.

Although Arya spent more time at Gendry’s apartment than she did at her house. She had all but moved her stuff in. No one really complained, they could see she was far happier with Gendry than before she’d met him. Least of all Gendry, he was the better for knowing and loving her.

After she graduated and Gendry’s lease expired, they moved back to the no-name town to live a life of virtual anonymity. Gendry got his job at the junkyard back and Arya took up his shifts at the bar. Through gossip one night as she worked, Arya discovered that one of the locals in the bar had called the cops on her after seeing her on TV. 

One evening, Gendry got home from his shift at the junkyard to find Arya decorating. “What’s this?” He asked, an amused smile on his face.  
“It’s Christmas, come help.” Arya took Gendry’s hand and pulled him further into the apartment. She had bought a tree and dozens of ornaments and lights for it. There were also decorations positioned around the apartment.  
“What can I do, milady?”  
“Don’t call me milady. Hang the fairy lights around the top of the walls, I can’t reach.”  
“As milady commands.” He laughed when she swiped at him but avoided it all the same. Gendry hung the lights while Arya added some finishing touches to the room. “Who helped you with the tree?”  
“Jon. He came to visit today. He also insisted that we are to go the city for Christmas.” She said and then more solemnly. “He ships out New Years Eve.”  
“Well then we have to go to the city.” Gendry smiled. “Come on, lets turn the lights on.” 

Arya switched the overhead lights off while Gendry flicked the switches on all the fairy lights. “It’s a little overboard.” Arya said when the result was much brighter than the overhead light.  
“It’s perfect. I’ve never had a real Christmas.”  
“What?”  
“I was in foster care, people don’t make Christmas for foster kids, maybe a present or two to keep us sated, but nothing like this.” He seemed sad for a moment, reminiscing on what he had missed with his father anonymous and his mother in the ground.  
“Well then, I’d better do it right this year.” Arya said, stepping over to Gendry. She looked up and wiggled her eyebrows.  
“Is that mistletoe?” He laughed.  
“It is, so you’d better kiss me.”  
“As milady commands.” Gendry bent his head and kissed Arya. Outside it had reached the perfect temperature and it started to snow.


End file.
